Westword -Open Letter to the senior class

Thursday

May 30, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 30, 2013 at 1:03 PM

When I began writing this column three years ago, one of the first submissions was an open letter to our graduating high school seniors here in town. Obviously, my sentiments apply to all 18-year-olds as they complete their journey out of childhood.

When I began writing this column three years ago, one of the first submissions was an open letter to our graduating high school seniors here in town. Obviously, my sentiments apply to all 18-year-olds as they complete their journey out of childhood.

Well, late May has arrived. Indulge me in running it again for this year’s group. I hope a few teachers and parents will pass it along – believe it or not, I hear that young people don’t read newspapers as frequently as they used to!

Dear Class of 2013: Graduation is approaching rapidly. In fact, I am writing this to you a few weeks early, since I know how busy you will be before (and after) graduation. For some of you, it feels like it’s all happening very fast. For others, it is taking forever to get here. Both feelings are normal. And whether you like it or not, it will be here and gone before you know it–like a warm summer day that draws September a bit closer.

Most of us ancient, decaying old drones – anyone over age 27 or so – spout the same rhetoric. These are the best years. Enjoy it while it lasts. Youth is fleeting. The real world awaits. After commencement commences, you will be commended commensurately. Blah, blah, blah.

All of it is quite true, but for the most part you don’t care. Prom night, the lacrosse tournament, Class Day, summer jobs, “will our relationship survive when the two of us go to different colleges”, and so much else is on your plate that rightfully trumps a supposed pep-talk from parents and other old drones.

But I beg you to listen, just a little, and file the words away somewhere deep in your memory. You will recall them one day and be glad they are there.

On May 12, 1993, I watched the series finale of “The Wonder Years,” another in a long line of TV shows about young people growing up (think “Gossip Girl,” but for Baby Boomers). Best hour of TV I ever watched. It was never released on DVD, but I have found portions of it on Youtube. And I dust off the VHS tape and play it every few years. Uh, e-mail me or ask your parents what a VHS tape is.

The fictional Kevin Arnold was turning 18 in 1973 and graduating high school, just like I was. Narrating from 20 years later, he wrapped up all the plotlines and revealed the futures of all his family members, including the soon-to-occur loss of his father. Against the backdrop of a neighborhood growing dark in the setting sun, Kevin delivered the bittersweet coda:

“Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you’re in diapers, the next you’re gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place...a town...a house like a lot of other houses...a yard like a lot of other yards...on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back...with wonder.”

Watching wide-eyed that night, I did not know that I would lose a parent just four months later. I did not know that my first child would be born exactly (exactly) 14 years later. I did not know that I would be sitting here writing about it, narrating to an audience myself, 20 years later, just like Kevin did. So much I did not know.

But I knew how much I was moved. Wide-eyed turned to misty-eyed in a hurry that night–and it’s even worse when watching it now, believe you me.

I doubt it will be “The Wonder Years,” but I hope there is something that moves you too, be it someone’s words, or a Taylor Swift song, or an essay, or anything. And it doesn’t have to change a thing about today. You will experience the people and the places. You will memorize the faces. And some day, maybe after you have become an old drone, you too will look back with wonder.

On behalf of this community, congratulations! Godspeed! And good luck in all you do.

Okay, on to the rest of your lives...

Jay Resha’s column “Westword” appears bi-weekly in the Westwood Press. For reader feedback, hate mail, etc., contact him at jayresha1@yahoo.com or on Twitter@wwestword. Previous columns can be found online at www.WickedLocalWestwood.com.